mitty30_004.JPG
Mitty's Jason Haniger , catcher
High school baseball: Las Lomas vs. Mitty.
this assignment will be for two stories.
-- First, a feature on high school catchers. They Bay Area has about 20 percent of the top 60 catchers in the country. Mitty's Jason Haniger is one of them. He's signed to play college ball at Georgia Tech. Please get good shots of Haniger
-- Also Las Lomas outfielder Diallo Fon. Fon's parents moved to California from Africa shortly before he was born
-- If possible, we'd like shots of both of these guys batting and playing in the field.
Event on 3/29/05 in San Jose. Eric Luse / The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT

Photo: Eric Luse

mitty30_004.JPG
Mitty's Jason Haniger , catcher
High school...

It's easy to see that catchers are rising stars / Six rated among nation's top 40

This year's Bay Area high-school class consists of six of the nation's top-40 catching prospects, according to Team One Baseball, and another four who could rank in the top 100 had the site listed that many. Led by Lowell's Charlie Cutler and Mitty's Jason Haniger, the area has a glut of backstops who have the potential to add their names to the pitchers, infielders and outfielders who have made it to "The Show."

"There are a lot of good catchers in the area, but I wouldn't say great yet," said Rob Bruno, general manager of the NorCal club team, a Fremont-based organization that attracts the region's top talent. "There's plenty of potential there."

The best of those is Cutler, who is known for his bat.

"The other day, with Charlie at the plate, I had the runner on first steal second," Lowell coach John Donohue said. "With first base open, the other team immediately walked Charlie. We won't be stealing much with him at the plate anymore."

It won't be long until opponents start to recognize his arm, too.

"That's really the most impressive thing about him," Donohue said. "He's really helped us with picking off some runners."

Add to that list Serra's Doug Hansen, who hit .443 as an outfielder last season, and St. Francis' Chris Coleman, and the WCAL provides half of the area's top-10 catchers.

Bellarmine coach Gary Cunningham said last week, "Every Tuesday, we're going to see a Division I pitcher."

He could have said, "Every game, we're going to see a Division I catcher."

There are plenty of others outside the WCAL, too. Stanford-bound Jason Castro of Castro Valley, Marin Catholic's Steve Domecus, San Ramon Valley's Hunter Flynn and San Benito's Seth Hudson have received acclaim for their athleticism.

The depth of the group starkly contrasts with the past.

"There are always some pitchers, and it varies at the other positions," said Marin Catholic coach Mike Firenzi, who has been coaching in the area for 15 years. "I can't remember having this many catchers.

"If you are good at it, it's a fast-track to the majors."

Domecus might reach that level.

"Without question, he should have high projections," Firenzi said. "He's never played year-round, because he plays football and basketball. He's strong, can run, has a plus arm, and when he plays year-round, he'll be as good as anyone."

For now, the area has to reach to find representation among catchers. Big- leaguers Johnny Estrada, Ken Huckaby and Adam Melhuse were born here, but played high school ball outside the area. John Baker and Jason Hill played in local high schools, but are still in the minors.

The new crop could bring a big change to those numbers.

"They won't all get there, but one of them might" a major-league scout said. "There's nothing wrong with that."